But other than that, there has been little new information about how the city’s high schools are likely to be reconfigured in the coming years.

District officials say they will not share any more plans about possible changes – which include closures, consolidations, boundary changes, co-locations, and reconfigurations – until October. Until then, they are keeping any plans for specific schools a closely guarded secret. They have also discouraged speculation based on independent analysis of data.

“Absolutely no decisions have been made on what schools will be recommended for closure in the coming years,” said District spokesperson Elizabeth Childs. “Staff and experts with decades of experience on these matters are analyzing a broad range of data, policies, and stakeholder feedback before making the first of these recommendations in October. Any list of potential school closures before that time is pure speculation and not supported by the School District.”

Nevertheless, the Notebook compiled a spreadsheet of some data (PDF version) about the existing public high schools, including utilization of each school compared to capacity, enrollment, building condition, and academic information. District leaders have said these factors will figure in its decision-making.

The spreadsheet includes the following data:

High school type

Grade configuration

Facilities Condition Index (FCI)

Current enrollment

Enrollment trends

Utilization rates

% of students transferring out

School Performance Index (SPI)

AYP status

Based on the Notebook’s review of this data, here are some issues worth paying attention to and some possible strategies the District could choose to pursue.

Small high schools

In an April interview, District staff and consultants seemed to indicate that they might be more likely to co-locate or consolidate some small high schools rather than close them. Parkway Northwest is over-enrolled (it is at 130 percent utilization) and Douglas has a building that is in poor shape (its “FCI,” which is a measure of what it would cost to repair the building as opposed to replace it, stands at 75 percent.) Both stand out as potential candidates for co-location – especially Parkway Northwest, which is in a rundown building and has an expensive lease that is about to expire. District officials could propose putting it inside an underutilized neighborhood school nearby, like Roxborough. Parkway West and Robeson, which both have fewer than 300 students and are just a mile apart, could conceivably also be candidates to share a building.

Promise Academies

Six of the District’s eight Promise Academy high schools (FitzSimons, Germantown, King, South Philadelphia, University City, and Vaux) are either currently operating at less than 50 percent capacity and/or are expected to do so next year. Despite budget concerns, Superintendent Ackerman has shown a desire to expand the District’s internal turnaround model – 10 new Promise Academies were initially designated for 2011-12, and now King is going to be a Promise Academy, too. Could we see two Promise Academies (say, FitzSimons and Vaux, only about a mile and a half apart) be consolidated?

Career and Technical high schools

District Deputy Superintendent Leroy Nunery is personally overseeing the proposed revamping of the District’s career and technical offerings. The goal, it seems, is to create “Centers of Excellence” that serve as regional hubs providing CTE programs to students throughout the surrounding neighborhoods. The District has already announced that Audenried’s diesel technology program will be one such center. It would seem almost certain that Dobbins (67 percent FCI, 39 percent utilization) is in for some kind of rightsizing treatment. Mastbaum (28 percent FCI, 32 percent utilization) could be, also.

Magnets and Citywide admission schools

Five of the District’s selective admission high schools (Bodine, Central, Masterman, Parkway Northwest, and Science Leadership Academy) are operating at over 100 percent capacity. And three of the District’s citywide admissions schools (Constitution, Motivation, and Robeson) are up near 90 percent capacity or higher. The District is also leasing the facility that houses Constitution (126 percent utilization), an expense it could be looking to shed. Messing with the magnets could be politically tricky, but could we see a co-location or two (say, Constitution with Palumbo, which is in an old elementary school building and has extra space)?

Northeast High

What can be done to relieve the pressure at Northeast High? It’s the city’s largest school, with an enrollment of over 3,200. It’s bursting at the seams, operating at 143 percent capacity, the highest in the District. The building is not in good shape with an FCI of 68 percent. It seems like something has to be done. Redrawing the school’s boundary could limit future enrollment, but would likely just push more students into nearby Abraham Lincoln High, which is also over capacity. District officials say they are loath to undertake new construction with so many empty seats across the city, but is there another way to relieve the overcrowding at high schools in the great Northeast?

Frankford High

Frankford High is another example of a big high school (1,800) that is at or over ideal capacity (99 percent compared to the ideal of 85 percent) and in bad physical condition (66 percent FCI). The surrounding community is among the fastest-growing in the city, but almost 63 percent of the families opt out of Frankford to attend another high schools. One of Frankford’s feeder schools (Smedley Elementary) is already a Renaissance charter, and two more (Edmunds Elementary and Harding Middle) are on the Renaissance alert list. District officials have hinted on multiple occasions that they may be trying to steer new charter growth to this part of the city. As part of a larger strategy to ease the pressure at Frankford, could there be a new high school charter option, perhaps as part of the Renaissance process, for the lower Northeast?

This story is a product of a reporting partnership on the facilities master plan between the Notebook and PlanPhilly. We encourage readers to weigh in with thoughts about small high schools and options for high school reconfiguration.

Comments (8)

Submitted by Chaos is Winning (not verified) on May 27, 2011 5:27 pm

A total enrollment of 1,000 in a building that can comfortably accommodate that many students isn't bad. It's important to keep in mind, though, that students of high school age are struggling with their identities and it is crucial that their teachers know them as individuals and recognize them as such whenever possible (there is research to back this up). They may look fully grown, but even the toughest of them is very vulnerable in this sense. When there are too many students, this just isn't possible. We can't look at our students as faces in the crowd. They know it when we do and it impacts their willingness to listen to us.

Charter Schools, as a whole, under-perform against public schools despite what the publicity machine and politicians would have you think. If that is your answer, you need to be more specific. Mastery and MAST are terrific charter schools. Unfortunately, that's about where the list ends in Philadelphia, especially when it concerns 9-12 students.

Research proves that it's SMALLER schools that produce the best results. I'm sure we'll see this, in time, when the first 9th grade class graduates from the new Lincoln High School. Whether it's a public school or one of the few effective charters, the smaller the school, the more personal attention a youngster will receive.

Raise taxes!!! It is plain, and it is simple. And Yes I am saying those unspeakable words. Speaking as a small business owner and a parent we have to be more responsible and accountable for our children’s education all of our children. Governor Corbett is very unfair in terms of his budget, revenue priorities and the funding formula for Philadelphia's schools. Yes the state admits they are under funding Philadelphia's schools 1 billion a year since 2007

However we can blame the Governor all day but the fact that we (Philadelphians) only pay 25% of the total cost to educate our children each year is shameful. Sometimes in life you do actually get what you pay for. Let stop blame the district, let’s stop hiding behind blogs and message boards, stop the name calling, the blaming each other and the petty bickering. Let's be adults and leaders and “Pay the Cost o be the Boss”. We have to do better for our children.

We are Philadelphians and we should be working together to lead this region, we have tackled bigger problems, we can surely handle this. Then we can grow our economy create employment opportunities to lower taxes. But only if we accept our part in this mess, be adults, and cooperate. Again Philly we CAN DO THIS.

We pay only 25 percent because the state took over our schools. If it is not willing to release responsibility back to local government - and every other school in the state is run this way - it must take responsibility for financing us. Someone must fund the kids, but if the city takes on too much of the burden without regaining an equal amount of control, it will establish a precedent that takes the heat off of the state while continuing to allow it to call the shots.

“The state takeover of the District had its roots in the chronic low test scores of district students and a history of inequitable financing which left the District with substantial and perpetual deficits” consequently in 2001 the state’s takeover was in effect and SRC was established. In 2001, the district had a projected deficit of $216.7 million in its $1.7 billion dollar budget this was labeled “a crisis in making.” Well now the projection is almost 3 times as high today over 629 million, what should we label it now?

We agree we need to have Philadelphia schools back in the hands of Philadelphia's. I also insist that we must pay the cost to be the boss. I am sure we also agree education is one of if not the best investment this city can make.

We are rallying this Thursday May 4th at the District at 4pm at School District HQ. Hopefully you can spread the word and if your schedule permits come on down.

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